Security or the lack of it is a key word in our Metro government.

Video: Word On The Street (1/14/08)

It's also on the minds of more than 300,000 residents whose Social Security numbers and identifying information was stolen from the Metro Election Commission.

But is adding new security the answer to all Metro departments? Apparently, not to our downtown public library which already has security cameras and guards. But the guards and cameras certainly don’t stop the thefts of its DVDs and other small items.

"It's a problem," says Metro Library Director Donna Nicely. "We did a huge study on a security system at our library, but it didn't work."

"If people are going to steal, they're going to steal," she said.

One library user, who didn't want to be identified, learned of the problem when he said he overheard a homeless man trying to sell a clearly marked library DVD just across the street from the library.

Based on that, the man said, he went to the library, and walked out with some items without even trying to hide them.

A few minutes later, he said, he went back inside the library and checked out the items with his library card.

Nicely believes these types of thefts will stop when the library is able to go online with the books, DVDs and other similar items.

But for now, library workers do not try to track or keep up with their items going out the doors.